More than a dozen governors have signed new pledges to fight climate change since President Donald Trump announced the United States will withdraw from the Paris climate accord, but New Hampshire's governor is not one of them.

Gov. Chris Sununu said the Granite State will not join the alliance -- for now.

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The Republican governor said he doesn't need to sign a piece of paper to continue New Hampshire's tradition of responsible environmental stewardship.

Sununu said earlier this week he doesn't plan to join an alliance set up by other states pledging to uphold the Paris climate change accord after President Donald Trump announced his plan to withdraw the U.S. from the agreement. He told reporters Wednesday that nothing would change if he joined other governors.

He says New Hampshire, including businesses, take environmental stewardship seriously, and he sees one of his roles as keeping that momentum going.

New Hampshire is part of the nine-state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative to reduce emissions. Sununu says he has already been talking to other governors about how to renew the initiative when it expires in a few years.

Both U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster released statements Tuesday night in which they criticized Sununu for not joining the new alliance.

“Governor Sununu is wasting an opportunity to maintain New Hampshire’s leadership on the environment and grow our economy through green jobs,” Shaheen said. “The Paris Climate Agreement sets laudable benchmarks for reducing greenhouse gas emissions that are contributing to global warming. New Hampshire should be spearheading efforts to curb the dangerous effects of climate change. I urge Governor Sununu to review the principles of the Paris climate accord and reconsider his position on joining the U.S. Climate Alliance.”

“It’s disappointing that Governor Sununu does not recognize the environmental and economic benefits to the Granite State of pursuing a cleaner and more efficient economy,” Kuster wrote.

"The President’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement was misguided and will cede our leadership on this critical issue, but that doesn’t mean New Hampshire needs to fall behind," Kuster continued. "Climate change poses a serious threat to our environment and our tourism industry, not taking action isn’t an option. When we expand clean, renewable energy in our state those are jobs and dollars staying right here in New Hampshire. Joining the U.S. Climate Alliance will signal that we’re committed to fighting climate change, preserving our environment for future generations, and leading the charge toward the clean energy economy of the 21st Century.”